Chung Mong-Joon, the former FIFA Vice-President, today tweeted that his close friend and AFC President Mohamed Bin-Hammam is to challenge Sepp Blatter for the Presidency of FIFA in June. “It seems he will challenge the FIFA presidential election in June," wrote the Korean who was unseated by a Blatter loyalist Prince Ali Bin Hussein of Jordan at the AFC Congress in Doha in January. Bin-Hammam recently said Blatter, in charge since 1998, had spent too long at FIFA - 35 years in total, and pinned the global complaints about the organisation onto the President's back: "Everybody is going to accuse us today as corrupted people, " he said, "because maybe people see Mr Blatter has stayed a long time in FIFA." Blatter's to-ing and fro-ing over the date of the 2022 World Cup , toying with the possibility of other Gulf nations co-hosting and his vocal backing of India and Australia for future tournaments have been judged to be political moves designed to split the Asian vote. Bin Hammam set himself on collision course with Blatter since the President backed Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in his ultimately failed attempt at unseating him at the AFC Congress in 2009. The Qatari has until the 1st of April to formally announce his bid, but recent statements from both he and Blatter appear to confirm the inevitable. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters Euro 2012 football

As the Year of the Rat gave way to the Year of the Ox in Seoul, Dr. Chung Myung-joon was finally herded out of his office as the head of the Korean Football Association (KFA) to be replaced by Cho Chung-yun. It really was the end of an era. For the first time in 16 years, Dr. Chung did not be hand out New Year presents to staff at the KFA. Suave, sophisticated and a smooth operator, he is a well-known figure in the world of soccer and is still the vice-president of FIFA. In South Korea, he is just well-known. The son of Chung Ju-yung, the legendary workhorse, entrepreneur and founder of Hyundai, is a figure that, as Koreans say, has very wide feet. Chung Junior is the boss of Hyundai Heavy Industries, is a member of congress and like his father, unsuccessfully ran for president. For a time in 2002, it looked as if he would make it to the Blue House only to fall with the end in sight. Chung instead became Roh Moo-hyun’s running mate but dropped out the day before Roh won the election in December 2002. 2002 was almost a dream year for Dr Chung. Six months earlier he basked in the national team’s success at the World Cup. He fully deserved the plaudits as he was the man credited with bringing the tournament to South Korea in the first place. Despite the fact Japan started its campaign two years earlier, Chung threw himself into persuading the world that Korea was the place to be and he did so with energy and guile that even his father would have been proud of. He was vindicated in 1996 as Korea was awarded the tournament along with its neighbor across the East Sea. He was thrilled in 2002 when the team outdid Japan on the field and the nation did the same off it. It has been a very happy 16 years for me,” Chung said as he departed. “It will be strange not to be the president any more but I am still vice-president of FIFA until 2011 and will be hard at work helping soccer develop.” Chung’s other activities and connections proved effective in helping Korean soccer develop but that time has passed, or should have. More a businessman and politician than a football guy, Chung brought a new level of politics to KFA House, and another thing he was accused of bringing to the large building in the exclusive Seoul neighborhood of Shinmunro was a number of Hyundai men. It remains to be seen what influence he will continue to have at the KFA – he is now honorary boss – but for now, it is time to give Cho a chance to prove that he can be his own man. He was certainly out on his own as the results of the election came in. Cho, who has been at the KFA since 1998, defeated rival Heo Seung-pyo in an election held last week by 18 votes to 10. Thank you for choosing me as president of the KFA,” Cho said. “I am willing to listen to voices from seniors and juniors and I will embrace people who did not support me, as well as those who backed me to develop South Korean football,'' he added. There are a number of issues that need to be looked into. The way the body goes about choosing its national team coach is clumsy. Last time round it was a major embarrassment played out in front of the world’s media as Dr. Chung dropped the ball and public rejections came from high-profile European coaches. Broadcasting rights is an issue that was hard to solve given Chung’s connections with the big television networks in Yeoido. Finding the right broadcaster to work with, one that can promote and develop the game is something worth looking into. Improving facilities at the grass-roots and youth level is already happening but input from the top does no harm. The biggest challenge though is for the new guy is to step out from the shadow and influence of the old guy. Chung Mark II is a possibility. But we will have to wait and see. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

It is a situation that is familiar to all English fans. The FA starts looking for a high-profile foreign coach for the national team, gets its fingers very publicly burnt, looks to home for a safe choice and then appoints a man with success in cup competitions but a mediocre league record. Steve McClaren’s England didn’t qualify for the 2008 World Cup but will Huh Jung-moo’s Korea make it to South Africa in 2010? For the sake of the Korean Football Association (KFA), it better. It hasn’t been the best of weeks for the KFA. It started with the expectation that, by Friday, a high-profile foreign coach would be appointed. The first choice was former Liverpool, France and Lyon boss Gerard Houllier and the back-up was the English ex-Ireland manager Mick McCarthy. Instead, a man who took Chunnam Dragons to tenth place in the 2007 K-League is in the hotseat. The story is a sorry one. For weeks, the authorities had remained tight-lipped about who was in line to take the job, admitting only that it would be one from overseas. Naturally, there were off-the-record confessions but nothing that couldn’t be denied if necessary. Last Wednesday however, two separate KFA officials, one the chief and FIFA Vice-President Chung Mong-joon, told reporters that the deal was almost done. Official spokesperson You Yong-cheol said that it was ’50-50’ between Houllier and McCarthy. According to sources, the 50-50 referred to whether Houllier would say no. It was assumed that McCarthy was prepared to leave English championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers and head east. The KFA’s comments were swiftly relayed westwards, made headlines and came as a shock to the English club which issued a statement that said a statement would be issued later. Whether or not McCarthy wanted the job, he was hardly likely to publicly say so when he knew Houllier had first refusal. After a day of meetings at Molineux, the former Irish boss emerged from talks armed with an improved contract and the old “thanks but no thanks,” speech. Shortly after, it was confirmed that Houllier had also said ‘non’. It was not a good 24 hours for Korean football and it also contained news that Pim Verbeek, who resigned as coach of the Taeguk Warriors in July, had been appointed by Australia. It didn’t make anyone feel better. Instead of taking stock of the sorry situation, the KFA immediately turned to Huh Jung-moo and he was officially unveiled on Friday afternoon. It all happened frighteningly quickly but perhaps after the stinging overseas rejections, it is understandable that swift solace was sought in the embrace of a familiar figure and old flame. Huh has coached the national team before – taking over after the 1998 World Cup and stepping down in 2000. It was not a time that was seen as especially successful. On the back of a Korean striker who could actually score goals, Lee Dong-gook, the team finished in third at the 2000 Asian Cup– the same as 2007. Without this recall, the 52 year-old would have gone down in international history as the man before Hiddink. As coach of K-League club Chunnam Dragons, it is only in the cups that the team has shone. League performances have been average at best. Last season the Gwangyang outfit finished in tenth, scoring just 24 goals in 26 games. With that in mind, it is not surprising that, among fans at least, Huh’s appointment has been met with even less enthusiasm that Steve McClaren’s in England in 2006. The Englishman was known by the media as ‘second choice Steve’ during his reign as coach, though that nickname turned out to be the nicest he was to receive as England went crashing out of Euro qualification. ‘Third-choice Huh’ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it but he has a second chance to show what he can do, starting against Turkmenistan on February 6. Fans will be hoping that the team performs better on the pitch than the football association does off it. copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting